1817 - The American School for the Deaf, Hartford, Conn First American School for the Deaf Used translation of French Sign Language for teaching Trained young ministers and Deaf graduates to be teachers Sent out teachers to establish other schools for the Deaf
Alice Cogswell (1805-1830) - first graduate of the American School for The Deaf
Thomas Braidwood - Founder of British Oral Schools for the Deaf
Laurent Clerc - (student of Sicard and colleague of Gallaudet) - Born in Dauphine, France in 1785, died July 18, 1869, Clerc graduated from and taught at the Paris School for the Deaf. In 1816 he moved to Hartford, Conn. and co-founded the American School for the Deaf with Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. He was buried in Spring Rove Cemetery in Hartford, Conn. Clerc married Eliza Crocker- Boardman, the third graduate of the American School for the Deaf. She died in 1880.
1690-1880 - Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts settled by 200 immigrants from Kent County England, an area known as "the Weald". Carried dominant and recessive genes for deafness. By the mid-1700's a sign language had developed on the island, used by deaf and hearing islanders alike. Almost all inhabitants signed and town meetings were signed for all. Deaf islanders married, had families, worked, voted, held public office and were equal. At one point, the birth rate for deaf children was 1 in 155 on the island, and in some villages as high as 1 in 25 and 1 in 4 (compared to the average of 1 in 1000). After the American School for the Deaf was established, island deaf children went to Hartford to be educated, bring island signs with them and influencing FSL in its change to ASL.
1818 - New York School for the Deaf established
1820 - Pennsylvania School for the Deaf
1823 - Kentucky School for the Deaf
1829 - Ohio School for the Deaf
1839 - Virginia School for the Deaf
1843-1912 - More than 30 schools for the Deaf were established by Deaf and hearing teachers from the American School for the Deaf and Gallaudet College, including schools in Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Illinois, Georgia, South Carolina and Arkansas. William Willard, the first Deaf Superintendent of a School, founded the Indiana School for the Deaf for the Deaf. He was a graduate of ASD and taught at the Ohio School for the Deaf before becoming superintendent at Indiana.
1850 - John Floumoy called for a "Deaf state" in the emerging West, where Deaf people would have their own schools and government
1862-1961 - "Dummy Hoy" was the reason umpires adopted hand signals to go along with the vocal calls of "out", "safe", and "strike".
1883 - Florida School for the Deaf established by Thomas Hines Coleman, a graduate of Gallaudet College. The original name of the school was the Florida School for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb. The first two deaf graduates were Artemas Pope and Cora Carlton, in 1898. Immediately after graduation they became married
1840 - 1912 - "Golden Age of Deaf Education" American Sign Language flourishes Approximately 40% of all teachers are Deaf
1864 - Gallaudet College founded in Washington, DC Abraham Lincoln was the signer of the charter and its first patron. The first president of Gallaudet was Edward Miner Gallaudet, son of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet and Sophia Fowler
1866 - First School for the Deaf established in Mexico, using the French method of education
